CAL FIRE plane may have hit a tree during Yosemite fire

Federal investigators say a CAL FIRE air tanker that crashed while battling a wildfire in Yosemite National Park might have struck a tree and lost a wing.

KGO

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

SACRAMENTEO, Calif. (KGO) --

A preliminary report shows the air tanker that crashed in Yosemite National Park last week may have hit a tree and lost a wing before it went down.

The National Transportation Safety Board says pilot Geoffrey "Craig" Hunt of San Jose was killed in a crash while dropping fire retardant on the wildfire. The crew on one of the other planes fighting the fire says the tanker appeared to hit a tree with its wing, which ripped off before the crash.